She sees better and no longer feels self-conscious

'Is that Hugo?” Isabella asked, squinting at the figure in red running across the playground only 20 yards away. My heart sank when it became clear that to my eight-year-old daughter, her brother’s outline was a blur: she had inherited my myopia. Poor eyesight had cast a shadow over my childhood, and now those dominant genes would affect my daughter’s life.

Not long after, Izzy got spectacles. She had to sit out her PE class because her glasses would get knocked off, while classmates called her “four-eyes”. Self-conscious, she withdrew into her books. Her spectacles were proving time-consuming and expensive, too, having to be replaced frequently after she’d broken a pair, or because her sight had deteriorated.

Two years into Izzy’s spectacle-wearing, her friend Sophia visited from America. That first night, as they got ready for bed, Sophia invited Izzy to watch her insert gas permeable (hard plastic) contact lenses designed for wear only at night. In a process known as orthokeratology, these temporarily re-shape the cornea, at the front of the eye, so that during the day Sophie didn’t have to resort to either contact lenses or glasses. We resolved that Isabella should try them, too.

Night-time lenses have been available for 10 years in the UK but remain relatively rare. Although the improvement in vision is temporary – the cornea returns to its original shape if they are left off for a few days – research in the US is looking at whether the lenses can permanently improve the vision of children, whose sight has yet to stabilise.

I consulted the European Academy of Orthokeratology website to find a practitioner near us. He explained that unlike normal lenses, night-time lenses are individually tailored gently to press the cornea, which is precisely measured with imaging techniques, into the shape of someone with 20/20 vision. The vision stays clear for up to two days afterwards.

Night-time lenses are only suitable for mild to moderate myopia (-0.75 to -4.50 diopters) and astigmatism (in which the cornea is not perfectly curved) of up to -2.50. An eye test indicated Isabella was a candidate, and although young to wear lenses of any kind, her resolve convinced the optometrist that she should have a go.

None of the big chains, such as Specsavers and Vision Express, offer these lenses, because they take up a huge amount of “chair time”: we showed up for our appointment at 5pm, but Izzy was still trying to insert the second lens two hours later.

The procedure was fiddly, involving small fingers, lubricant drops, a mirror and a little extraction stick with a suction cup at one end. But my daughter was determined, despite at first complaining that the lenses felt “sandy”.

At bedtime, I stood by as she washed her hands carefully (as with all lenses, hygiene is crucial to prevent infection) and lubricated her lenses before inserting them. After one night’s wear, she could see clearly, although by the afternoon her vision was blurred. After three nights, she had 20/20 vision all day. Soon, the procedure took less time, too; and nine months on, inserting the lenses takes only minutes.

They are comfortable to wear at night, and even more importantly, Izzy has stopped being self-conscious. Unlike wearers of daytime contact lenses, she’s not scared of losing them in swimming classes, or of contact sports.

Night-time lenses are more expensive than standard gas permeable ones; Izzy’s bill came to £800 with repeated visits and check ups. Getting them in can test your patience, too. But the money and time have been well worth it.